LANSING, MI - A program putting state social workers in Detroit, Flint, Pontiac and Saginaw public schools potentially could serve as a model for expansion including other state services in other locations.

The Department of Human Services' “Pathways to Potential” program is putting more workers into public schools in the four cities early this year, building on a pilot program. An estimated 135 schools – mostly elementary schools – are expected to have social workers or “success coaches” on location by mid-February or so.

The program was discussed Wednesday in a wide-ranging media roundtable with Director Maura Corrigan and other DHS officials. The Pathways to Potential program was mentioned by Gov. Rick Snyder in his State of the State speech last week.

The focus is to send state employees to where clients are located, rather than relying on clients to come to state offices. It helps residents who may have transportation problems, and it allows social workers to more directly observe clients’ situations.
A goal is “to go mobile, to be where the clients are, to get them to results,” Corrigan said.

Detroit, Flint, Pontiac and Saginaw have had relatively high crime rates – drawing an emphasis from the Snyder administration. The same cities have recently had more state resources committed to law enforcement.

The Pathways to Potential program is designed to help children and families get access to resources – both public and private – for which they qualify. The social workers will be able to assist DHS clients, and also work with families and children that are not DHS clients.

Cutting down on truancy – making sure students attend classes – will be one of the primary goals for the state employees that DHS is calling “success coaches.”

The program isn’t expected to cost extra money. It’s designed to meet the needs of DHS clients more effectively and directly by putting social workers directly into school buildings.

“It became very clear to us last year that our business model – how we were serving those people in desperate need – was a horrible business model,” said Duane Berger, chief deputy director of the Department of Human Services. “It was a model of brick-and-mortar where they come to us, rather than us go to them.”

It’s a program that at some point could expand to other parts of the state, DHS officials said. And it also could serve as a precursor or model for making other state services – such as health and employment services – available in schools or other community hubs.